The Right Kind of Hangover
by KateFaulkner24
Summary: Some things you experience drunk are better not remembered. But the right kind of drunk at the right time is the kind that's worth remembering. Season 4, post-"Always"
1. Waking Up to Beckett

**Title:** The Best Kind of Hangover  
**Rating:** T+  
**Pairing:** Castle/Beckett  
**Disclaimer:** God knows it, and I do too, but what Marlowe dreams is honest and true. And to take what's his is wrong, not right, and if I do, I'll kick my own butt at night.  
**Author's Note:** I LOVE CASTLE. WOW. Season 4's finale "Always" just blew my mind, and I loved it. Just loved it. So, creative brain juices started flowing as I was driving home today and the result is… this. I don't know what this is. Help me, I think my brain melted…  
**Summary:** Some things you experience drunk are better not remembered. But the right kind of drunk at the right time is the kind that's worth remembering. (Season 4, post-"Always")

* * *

Normally, mornings never seemed to be a problem. Castle was used to the long hours, the short nights, and the even shorter deadlines of the coming dawn in his double life, part amateur detective, part expert writer. Sleuthing until 3 in the morning turned out to be just another day's work for him, but not necessarily one he wanted to repeat over and over again for fear of sleep deprivation.

As the beams of day pierced through his window, he moaned softly, bringing a begrudging hand to his baby blues with a slight distaste for the sunrise. It felt like a hangover. The worst ones always started like this: sensitivity to light and sound, heaviness in the limbs, inability to clearly remember what happened the night before, not sure if everything was a dream or it was real… But the slight softness of breath on the back of his neck brought recognition and delight flooding to his brain and his heart. Yes, he'd had some doozies once or twice: two in Maui one year early in his writing career; there was always Vegas, and what happened there probably only stayed there because he couldn't remember what happened; rip-roaring drunk the first night The Old Haunt traded hands into his possession (and not to mention the $25,000 Scotch); and the day after one really bad case that involved secrets and a political protect bombing. That one hurt, but it didn't seem to matter anymore. None of that mattered because what he had now, the kind of hangover he had was the punch drunk lovesick kind. The best alive, God made and Cupid approved. These types of hangovers lasted centuries.

He rolled on his side and pretended to sleep, even threw in a few fake snores while he felt Kate move on the other side of the bed, her fists thumping the headboard as she stretched. She was so beautiful. It was like the world had been dark, dismal and cold in monochrome until she was born into it in a glorious blaze of Technicolor. Not just her appearance either; the beauty she radiated was just her soul turned inside out.

His muse shifted, spooned, kissed the back of his neck with her lips and hugged him close. "Morning handsome," she whispered in his ear.

"Mmmmm…" he groaned, "Sleepy."

"You can't be sleepy." She nibbled on his ear a bit, and it sent shivers in places otherworldly. "You have to make us breakfast."

"I'd be lucky enough to stand after last night."

Kate chuckled. "Well, we could always do it again."

"You promise?"

"Always." Ah, their signature phrase again. He loved the melody of it from her lips as much as she delighted in it from his.

Castle pounced, flipped over faster than she anticipated and she screamed, laughing. His mouth met hers in "holy palmer's kiss", hungry for more than just food. "Breakfast?" he breathed, nuzzling noses with his love.

She grinned. "Don't burn it this time."

"Hey, that wasn't burnt. It was extra crispy in bacon grease."

"Well, if you'd like, I can show you how to cook better eggs."

"Oh yeah? how?"

"Well, first you make sure they're nice and fresh. Something new is always…" Kiss. "…a good…" Kiss. "…thing."

"…Then what?"

"You got to wait until things start… getting… hot…" And suddenly, the covers felt like a furnace.

"…And then what?"

"And then you crack the shells, getting rid of everything between the eggs and the pan…" He felt her shift, slinking downward that he hoped was something not G rated.

"…And then… then what?"

"You make sure everything is nice… and… scrambled…"

"Not that hard," he chased her under the covers and kissed her again and again, a dying man brought back to life by a magic that even he couldn't write well enough to give it justice. Heart thundering, he stroked her cheek and grinned at her. "I still can't believe this."

Her hazel eyes met his. "Me either. But better get used to it. I'm not going anywhere."


	2. Delightfully Domestic With Castle

**Title:** The Best Kind of Hangover- Delightfully Domestic with Castle  
**Rating:** M  
**Pairing:** Castle/Beckett  
**Disclaimer:** What Marlowe owns in his toy box / gives me joy like fuzzy slipper socks. / And to take what's his, I won't comply / because it's his, and I'd rather die.  
**Author's Note:** I posted the first portion when I didn't think it was going to BE the first portion, at midnight Tuesday into Wednesday, and as of 11PM CST on Wednesday 5/9, I have 2 reviews, 8 faves, and 14 alerts on it. Y'all are either really missing _Castle_ being on, really love Castle/Beckett parings, really like my fictions, or some combination of that list. Any way you slice it… I'm lovin' it. Thank you for totally making my day you crazy, crazy _Castle_ fanatics! I truly love you.

In honor of your hospitality (and the fact that KATE is now poking my brain to let me know she wants a chapter), the brief chapter of sweet goodness is below!

Shoutout to Madsthenerdygirl and NancyErin who kindly left me reviews! Thank you, thank you! Hopefully this is more fluffiness for both of you and everyone else who enjoyed it!

...Ok, yeah. Too many ideas swirling in my cranium to deny it. This just might be a longer fiction. Castle's probably going to poke me with a pen and go, "YOU SHOULD BE WRITING." Eh. Whatever the muses say. I shall do their bidding (and my own shipper heart a favor).

* * *

There was always something to be said about waffles. And bacon. And eggs. And so many other familiar smells that could wake the dead in time for breakfast. That felt like the case as Kate sighed peacefully in bed, soaking up the smells wavering from the kitchen to the bedroom. Smelled like home. Smelled like memories. Smelled like Castle. He had a habit of whipping up the newest concoction out of nothing and begging her on all fours to try it, one way or another, on the days that she stopped by in the morning hours. He always liked to do that, and once or twice she was tempted to ask him why he didn't use his own family for guinea pigs instead of her… that, and why he always seemed to have a buffet table laid out for her when she popped in "unannounced". She swore he had a way of tracking her phone GPS or something, the way he always seemed to know when she was on her way. That, or a sixth sense, which she'd never tell him for fear that he'd start fantasizing about having a superpower.

Still, all in all, he managed to surprise her with the most important meal of the day at the most needed times, and this one didn't prove to be any exception. The next county could hear her stomach growling, and she was too eager to make it shut up.

Kate lazily stretched out, a cat in a sunbeam, before she flung the covers off and inspected the floor with a plop of her foot. _Oooh, heated floors_. She'd never been barefoot around here before, but she could get used to this… She hoisted herself into a half-teetering stance, still wiping the crust out of her eyes as she walked the few steps it took to reach Rick's wardrobe, seemingly wider than her entire room. Armani. Gucci. Prada. Calvin Klein. Ralph Lauren. The sheer amount of clothes he bought in a day would've eclipsed the amount she got paid in a month. Well, if she got paid at all, now… She fingered the silk on an ebony dress shirt, bringing the fabric to her nose and sniffing. It smelled like his cologne. Satisfied, she carefully plucked it from the hanger and pulled it on, rolling the sleeves up slightly to compensate for her lack of arm length. It felt so smooth, so soft against her skin… "Castle…" she breathed, and smiled. She couldn't remember when he wore this one, or if he even liked wearing it, but she commandeered it anyway. She needed something to wear, and she had a feeling he wouldn't mind at all.

Her stomach burbled. That bacon was not going to eat itself. And besides, now… now she was ready to present herself to her man.

Her man. That was going to get some getting used to. But she couldn't wait to figure it out.

"Ooooh, that was one of my favorites," said Castle, watching her walk across the threshold. "It looks amazing on you."

"I should hope so," she replied, grinning from ear to ear. "Because I'm not going to let you have it back."

He chuckled. "I wouldn't dream of it. You want some?" he poked at the bacon sizzling in the pan, and grimaced when the grease caught the flesh between pointer and thumb. "Ow. I swear, I'm not trying to cook my hand too."

"Are you ok, babe?" Kate waltzed to his side and grabbed his hand gently, inspecting the wound with careful consideration before she stuck it in her mouth and sucked.

Castle loved that; she could tell by the look in his eye when he turned the stove heat off. "Am now. Thank you, Beckett."

"Always," she couldn't help saying, kissing him slow and soft. "and I have an idea."

"Uh oh. I'm not sure I like this. Isn't that a little dangerous for you?"

"That rule applies to you, not me."

"Ah yes. You always did like my theories…"

"Why don't we try one of mine?"

"Oh yeah? And what's that?"

Kate grabbed him by the front of the boxers he was wearing, right at the top elastic. "Breakfast in bed? We're going to need our strength if we're going to give it a second round."

"Now? Right now?"

"Now, Castle. Before I change my mind," she retorted. Something about her declaration yesterday was making her bolder, flirty, dare she say it? Sexy. She lost her grip and started backing slowly away. "Let's go, unless you're too tired. Aww, poor baby."

He growled low in his throat. "You better run, little girl."

"Try and catch me."

She bolted, screaming, laughing harder than she had in a long time as he hounded her from behind, two little kids with endless possibilities and the time to grow old together.

The bacon burned. Again. Neither one cared. They had better things to do.


	3. Midmorning Sunshine and Beckett

**Title:** The Best Kind of Hangover- Midmorning Sunshine  
**Rating:** M  
**Pairing:** Castle/Beckett  
**Disclaimer:** Though Castle's voice / can haunt my head / And makes me write / until I'm dead. / He's not my character / but Marlowe's alone / I just toy with the story / and put it back when I'm done.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Wait a second here… Somebody's poking my brain...

Castle: And then what?  
Me: Huh?  
Castle: What happens next?  
Me: What do you mean, what happens next? Didn't I write enough for you?  
Castle: Heck no. You can't leave it like that. That's leaving a stupid, terrible cliffhanger that nobody's going to like. It's only the beginning of the story, not the middle or end, and you have to give the readers what they want. If I was reading this, I'd feel a little cheated.  
Me: Well, I'm sorry I don't meet your literary standards, Mr. Castle.  
Castle: That's ok. Few people can boast 26 bestsellers and a whole lot of blog posts. You're still an amateur.  
Me: So… cliffhanger? I can't do that?  
Castle: No.  
Me: And you want more?  
Castle: *scoffs* It's not a matter of if I want more. It's what the readers want. And THEY want more.  
Me: …You just want to see what happens between you and Beckett, don't you?  
Castle: …Was it that obvious?

More. Couldn't resist, so I started typing and here we go… (By the way, thanks to everyone who has favorited and put me on Author Alert. And especially CastleFan1012 for reviewing. You all rock!).

* * *

Every bone in his body hurt. His butt hurt. His back hurt. His arms and his hands and his legs and his feet, all of it was on fire by the time he got a chance to catch his breath. She is GOOD. So, so good at what she does, it's extraordinary. Castle didn't know what was up and what was down when she got through with him, and frankly, he could care less. In the blackest night, or brightest day, she could do whatever she wanted with him. He'd love every minute of it.

She'd fallen back to sleep, some fallen angel in the midmorning sunshine. He loved watching her peaceful slumber, with a little moan every once in awhile as she shifted around… it was so cute. It made her look soft, vulnerable, and sweet, in that strong, endearing kind of way.

His fingers tried not to disturb her when he stroked her face, but to no avail. She moaned and cracked open those beautiful hazel eyes he could fall into every day for the rest of his life. A lazy smile spread over her lips. "Mmm, do that again. Felt real good."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't stop myself," he admitted.

"S'okay. I wanted to wake up anyway. What time is it?"

Castle checked the bedside clock, surprised by the lateness of the day. "Wow, a little after ten. Alexis's all-nighter should be ending pretty soon…" He knew he looked like a scolded puppy with the look he gave her next. "I have to go pick her up."

"No," she shook her head slowly, pulling herself up onto his lap and kissing his nose. "We do."

"You want to…? Oh." He moved his head upwards so he could do his part. "Then there's got to be some sort of 'getting ready and cleaning up' involved."

Kate stroked his cheek and winked, shimmying out of his reach. "I know. Which is why we need to get ready first. I call shower."

"Hey, not fair!"

She chuckled, and ran in, started the water with the sound of rain, and peeked back out in a cloud of heat. "Well? Are you coming?"

She didn't have to tell him twice. "Best. Relationship. Ever."


	4. Beautifying Beckett With Castle

**Title:** The Best Kind of Hangover- Beautifying Beckett  
**Rating:** M  
**Pairing:** Castle/Beckett  
**Disclaimer:** Oh Andrew, Sir Andrew, thou hast vexed me/ For thy boundless creativity/. And thou owns _Castle_, straight and true/ But you don't mind me borrowing it for a moment or two. Thank you!  
**Author's Note:**

Kate: Well, that was steamy.  
Me: Yeah, and it was probably one of the easiest chapters I've ever written, oddly enough.  
Kate: …So… what happens next?  
Me: You get to meet the daughter… again. As a…girlfriend?  
Kate: Isn't that… I mean, didn't I already do that years ago?  
Me: Not like this you didn't.  
Kate: …Great. And I don't have my gun.  
Me: Nope. You're kind of screwed.

* * *

I'm at it again. I kind of like writing on this thing almost everyday. Not only that, I'm giving myself a set time to write, and it's becoming a nice little habit. I like it!

Shout out to RiTa-MD and jasnrob for the reviews! And thanks y'all for viewing my story and faving it! I hope I keep living up to y'all's expectations, and I hope I keep entertaining.

Ok, no more talk. Time for some Castle/Beckett action.

* * *

She had no clothes. After her brain practically melted along with Castle's touch… she realized that, unless she was planning on wearing water vapor, there was nothing but her old, sopping pile of clothes in Castle's bedroom to wear. Sopping, because they were as stubborn as her and refused to dry. _Really_? You'd think she would have figured that one out sooner but… eh. She was locked inside her own "Castle" walls, and there wasn't much of an option for clear thought.

Where had Castle gone? He'd left a few minutes ago, and as she sat on the toilet seat, she stood inside the shower stall, already missing his warm arms surrounding her. She settled for a towel, but that… that wasn't enough. "Castle? Baby? Where did you go?"

"Hey! I'm here! Just getting something!" No sooner than she said it than he poked his head back into the bathroom with a sly grin on his face, already fully dressed and wearing the same black shirt she'd commandeered this morning. That made her all kinds of pelased. "You didn't drown in there, did you?"

"What does it look like, Castle?"

"Well, I mean, I left you in there a long time, long enough to get you all… wrinkly and pruny… Just wanted to see if you dried out a little."

"Oh yeah? And why is that?"

His face exploded like fireworks. "'Cause I got somethin' for you."

Kate normally never loved it when he was infuriating, but this was more like flirting. Which was quite ok in her book. "Don't make me get my handcuffs," she said, a beat before she realized she didn't have any.

"Nah. Those are for the bedroom," he chuckled. "But I can't have you going out in public, wearing nothing but your birthday suit. That's for the bedroom too. So…" He pulled something out from behind his back and winked. "…thought you'd like something nice to wear."

It was cranberry mandarin silk, a mix of red and orange like the sunrise, with golden vines coursing down the right side. No sleeves, like she liked it; the fabric at the top knotted in the middle like a rose, and two gilded panels of flowing chiffon hung downward from it, stopping at her knees. From Castle's fingers dangled a pair of gold Jimmy Choo sandals with a two-inch heel, the jewel-incrusted leather straps lacing together like lattice work at the toes and snaps to secure the straps in the back. Coupled with the ruby drop necklace, gold bracelets and a haircomb with garnet encrusted butterflies on it, she didn't know how to breathe. Wow. "Oh, Castle…"

"Like them?" He beamed, pleased as punch. "Sounds sappy, but I bought them a year ago, had them tucked away in my closet… I uh… I don't know. I just… thought that one day, they'd be yours. Either that, or Gina would've stolen them and I wouldn't know any better." He chuckled. "They're in your size. And orange is very in this year."

"I thought it was… yellow?"

"But red's your power color. When I first met you, that's all you'd wear. Compromise."

She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You noticed what I wore?"

"Of course I did. I couldn't keep my eyes off you."

"Rick." How could she not love him for that? Kate leaped up and wrapped her arms around him, kissing him on the nose and lips. "I don't know how to thank you."

He rolled his eyes up to the ceiling for a second or two. "Hmmm… date me. Love me. Be my love monkey."

Kate laughed. "No, but you can be my writer monkey."

"Deal." He kissed her back. "Go get changed. We'll take the Ferrari out for a spin."

"Do I get to drive?"

He scoffed. "It's my car. And you never let me drive yours."

"Because if you did, I could've gotten a violation on my police record and a couple days' suspension."

"But, hey, big risk, big reward."

She kissed him again. "Shut up and kiss me."

"Don't have to tell me twice."


	5. Cruising With Beckett

**Title:** The Right Kind of Hangover- Cruising with Beckett  
**Rating:** M  
**Pairing:** Castle/Beckett  
**Disclaimer:** _Castle_ is not mine to claim / But to honor its influence is my aim. / Andrew Marlowe created this story / and I'm borrowing stuff to give it glory.  
**Author's Note:** Ok, not my best disclaimer ever, but it'll work for my purposes at the moment.

* * *

Castle: Shakespeare, you are not.  
Me: Never claimed I was, just a writer and poet putting one word in front of the other.  
Castle: Ooh, great rewording of that.  
Me: Thanks.  
Castle: You're welcome. So… now what?  
Me: Huh?  
Castle: I bought her the dress, and we're going to pick up Alexis. So… now what? How's that going to go?  
Me: I don't know. I just let things percolate and simmer a bit, taking my time, waiting for the creative juices flow…  
Castle: …You realize you're even sounding like me now?  
Me: Shut up, Castle.

* * *

Mr. Writer Monkey aside here... Thank you, everyone, who has reviewed or just looked at this silly little fiction with glee. It really makes me smile when I see that I've got an abundance of author alerts, story alerts, story faves, and views. Holy cow, I have 6,000+ views total! That's awesome! Thank you very much! I hope everything else I've written tickles your television tastebuds too.

Castle: Oooh, great alliteration.  
Me: Yeah, thought that one was pretty good too.

Check out some of the other _Castle _stuff I've written too (My Alabaster Box is one of my favorites).

Hope you enjoy this little jaunt into Caskett love as they spin around town in such a lovely car… and madsthenerdygirl, you rock. Thanks for reviewing, and yes, I do have Castle in my head. It's far easier to hear his voice than Kate's sometimes because he's the one that usually says something rediculous and funny... same as I would.

Castle: That's creepy.  
Me: Shut up, Castle.

See what I have to put up with? Enjoy!

* * *

Ferraris were hot. Sleek, fast, cool, strikingly pretty. Hotrod red, cobalt blue, white as pearl and electric yellow, they shone in the sun like new fallen stars. They were tasteful, classy, and treasured by their owners like the finest of jewelry. These cars proved not to be just flashy pieces of machinery to bring out on special occasions, like wooing and impressing bosses, friends or ladies. They dazzled as symbols of freedom, of beauty. If someone saw you in a Ferrari, they knew you were something special.

But not a single car, not even a Ferrari or an M3, could touch the lady riding shotgun with him now. She was something special, with her hair pulled back with her new comb, and the dress she wore looked stunning against her bronze skin. She left everything in the dust.

The entire ride, Castle spun the wheel with a one-hand feel, the other laced in the grip of his muse. He glanced to his right, admiring her for a second or two before he had to turn back to the road. This seemed to be two things, equal parts new and strange. He'd lived in her world of gritty detective work and unsolved murders for four years. At the beginning, it was a fish out of water experience - or at least, a freshwater fish in salt water. He'd thrown himself into an atmosphere that felt gritty, burning, sometimes hard to breathe. Barely keeping afloat in a den full of sharks, he'd floundered his way and proved to be somewhat useful during that time. He learned to keep swimming and eventually, he adapted to the environment of the real mystery world, one that wasn't entirely his own, but familiar enough. This time, though, it was quite different. It wasn't him who had to learn to cope in a world full of guns and suspects; it was her in a world full of glamor and high society.

Not like she didn't belong there; she belonged with him, period. As long as she existed in his life, she would always belong, no questions asked. But in his world… that would be too soon to tell. Watching her now, relaxed, carefree, so comfortable against the leather seat, it wouldn't be hard to see her waltzing at opening galas in an expensive cocktail dress, mingling with the rich and famous on and off his arm, charming the local millionaires and kicking out the boozers who had a bit too much to drink. She was a classy lady, and she could dance in her Jimmy Choos until the heels broke off; she could fit in that world if she really wanted to.

Time would tell if she wanted to.

Would she really want to?

"I love you, Kate," he murmured, rubbing the top of her hand with his thumb.

She glanced back at him and grinned. "Back atcha," she replied, and squeezed. "But apparently, not enough to let me drive."

He laughed. "Your car, you drive. My car, I drive."

"Since when does that work?"

"Uh, since the first time I walked into the precinct."

"That didn't work in NY so much, did it?"

Darn it. He thought she'd forgotten that. "Oh, come on. You strong armed me into it, Beckett."

She rolled her eyes and twirled a strand of her hair, an absent trait he'd noticed recently that made him smile uncontrollably. "You can't strong arm someone who gives you the keys voluntarily."

"You always have to get the last word, don't you?"

"I don't remember a time where I didn't."

He rolled his eyes, but he could feel his smile splitting his face. "You know, this is a whole new ballgame with us. There is an 'us' now. There's going to have to be some give and take here."

"Yeah, you give me the chance to finish a conversation, and I take it." She smooched his cheek. "Relax, Castle. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to fight for the last word."

"You promise?"

"You make it sound so dirty…"

"Oh, I hope so."

Castle made a left turn at the stoplight, and pulled in front of Alexis's private high school, squeezing behind a Lexus and a Malibu and honking at a few graduates who couldn't seem to stand up straight. "Hey, what the…!"

Kate grabbed his arm and shook her head, lips in a line. "Nope. No. Don't do it. She's better than that, and you know it. She won't fall for booze in the punch or roofies in her water. Trust that."

He shook his head. "I'm going to kill whoever it was who decided to do something-"

"Ah! Hold it."

"Beckett?" They were too focused on each other to realize Alexis stood not even four feet away, blue eyes wide. She gripped her backpack self-consciously and furrowed her brow. It looked like she'd never seen Kate… oh yeah. She hadn't. Not like this. Oops.

He looked at her innocently, cast a fleeting glance at his lady, popped the trunk and gulped down air. "Uh, hey. How was the lock-in, Alexis? Did you have fun?"

Kate slid closer to him, thrilling him, but he could see that she felt a little more than awkward. This was going to be interesting... "Yeah, how was it?"

"Uh. Yeah, I had fun." She threw her stuff in the trunk of the car, jumped in beside Beckett, and hugged her, still quizzical. "Kate, you look great."

"Thanks," said Kate, who looked as uneasy as Castle did.

And that's when it hit him: no badge, sitting close, intimate. Oh boy. "Uh, Alexis? I would like you to… meet my… g-girlfriend?" Was he really saying this in front of his teenage daughter? Was he really this terrified of her reaction? Was he really stuttering?

Alexis buckled herself in and rolled her eyes. "About time," she said.


	6. Fashion Fun with Alexis? And Castle

**Title:** The Right Kind of Hangover- Fashion Fun with Alexis? And Castle  
**Rating:** M  
**Pairing:** Castle/Beckett  
**Disclaimer:** _Castle _may be my one obsession / I love it 'cause it breaks depression / But to take what's Marlowe's is a crime / The story's his, the words are mine.  
**Author's Note:** Wow. I'm flabbergasted at the amount of views I'm getting on this thing. Wow. Y'all really know how to make my world go 'round. Thank you very, very much.

Props to Spittel, jasnrob and lv2bnsb1 for the reviews. I knew I liked you guys! And jasnrob, you should be my factoid police. I dub thee factoid police, so when I screw up, you can hit me over the head with a copy of _Heat Wave_. Hehehe… I sometimes forgot the nitty gritty details. So thank you for the corrections. I hope to do better later on.

Also, did you all know I didn't really have a plot for this fiction until yesterday? Sometimes meandering through the fluff reveals some of the most interesting tidbits… And YES, this fiction is now going somewhere. There will be an actual story besides the cute Caskett fluffiness. Just stay tuned… the other shoe's going to drop...

* * *

Kate: That sounded very ominous. I'm not going to end up dead or anything, am I?  
Me: You already escaped how many death sentences this past season? Do you really have to ask that?  
Kate: And if you put Castle in danger, I will shoot you.  
Me: With the gun you don't own?  
Kate: There's licenses to fix that.

Enjoy.

* * *

She had to be dreaming. What in the world was she doing here? Kate's eyes widened as she stood outside the revolving glass door, staring upwards at the neutral cream backdrop an all the lights… enough to make the dead of night look like midday, warm and inviting. The designer labels through the looking glass windows looked close enough to lift from behind the flawless and dirtless surface. Pedestrians carried bags stuffed to the brim with shoes, scarves, dresses, and other apparel that would take her years to even save for one. Solitary. Item. Or would have, if she had a job anymore. Which she didn't. But even she couldn't believe she was standing here, stiff as stone, and someone was telling her she could have anything she wanted.

Gucci. The sign said Gucci. She normally would be lucky to have a handbag with "Gutchi" on it if she really wanted to go through the trouble of knocking off a name brand. And here she was, Castle's hand in hers, his smile splitting his face in two, and he was telling her she could have anything and everything she wanted from this specific, designer store.

"Are you serious? Do you realize how much this stuff costs?"

It took her a beat or two to really, REALLY get why he was so amused. "Yes, Beckett, and I have to penny pinch for the rest of my life because I just… can't… afford it…"

She punched his shoulder. "Not funny."

"Seriously, let me worry about the big bucks. I make enough green, so you just go in and look good in it. Ok? Besides, you know I'd just spend it on something you'd roll your eyes at."

"What? Like property on the moon?"

He rolled his eyes. "Oh come on. When the world succumbs to a nuclear-powered fallout that eats the ozone for breakfast, you're going to be dying to have a little real-estate in my crater." He paused. "That sounded so dirty all of a sudden."

"Focus, Castle."

"What I'm saying is, put my money to good use. I got it, I want to spend it, and I want to spend it on you."

"Are you two done making a scene?" piped up Alexis, her arm wrapped around his on the other side. "Because if you aren't, you can walk back to the car and finish it there."

"Hey, I thought I was the parent," said Castle, adoring his daughter with a smooch on top of her red head. "But you're right. We need to be adults here."

Kate smirked, and caught Alexis doing the same. "Castle, you're middle name is 'Trouble'. Asking you to be an adult is like asking birds to croak, or frogs to sing."

His blue eyes twinkled, and he leaned close enough to kiss. "Quite right," he nodded his head backwards. "But I promise to behave as gentlemanly as possible. We can't have everything on the tabloids, can we?"

That's when she noticed something shiny behind his left shoulder, about fifty feet from where they were standing. She squinted, frowning. Somebody was watching and that somebody was watching through a digitally-zoomed lens. Photographer. They always did, and it crashed her back to reality again. She wasn't dating Castle, pain-in-the-butt-amateur-detective… she was dating Richard Edgar Castle, author of 26 bestsellers, graphic novelist, and celebrity debutant. Richard "Rick" Castle, the face on a million _Vogues_ and _Vanity Faire's_, _US Weekly's_ and part of Fortune's Top 100. One of the most eligible bachelors to date, the "White Whale" if she remembered correctly. Everywhere she went with him from now on, it would be a circus of tightrope walks and party acts to avoid or attract attention, whichever was appropriate, and that was definitely something she wasn't used to, not at that level. This morning was beautiful. It was just her, and him and the simplicity of domesticity. Now… the whole world was watching. Something to think about…

Was she ready for that?

"Don't worry about it," whispered Castle in her ear. "They're just looking for their next exposé. And later, I'll teach you how I screw with them a little bit by making scenes that aren't real." He winked. "What good are paparazzi if you can't mess around with them?"

Alexis vaulted at the rotating door and put her hands on the turnstile. "Ready?"

"Yeah…" Kate murmured, slightly unnerved.

"Your new wardrobe awaits," said Castle, escorting her to the door. "And let my credit card start screaming."

* * *

No sleeves were very in this year. Kate made the mistake of walking up to the desk clerk and declaring her ineptitude with expensive fashions, about how she could knock off designer looks but definitely had nowhere to turn when it came to the actual tags. Sooner rather than later, a pile of clothes dumped into her arms, she stood in a dressing room with a discontented sigh, trying on what had to be the fiftieth pair of slacks, the twelfth dress, and three hundredth set of accessories. A bracelet for every occasion, a bag for every occasion, a cocktail gown for every other occasion that required some sort of fancy attire. EVERYTHING was expensive, everything was flouncy, and everything seemed to scream "fake" at her like an animal protestor at a test lab. The more things she tried on, the less and less she felt like herself in them. This was so weird, so new to her to have these clothes, these purses, these scarves…

Big Castle sat in the "lobby" area, no doubt trying to picture her in the lingerie that she had a sneaky suspicion he snuck into her pile. Little Castle, however, had parked it in the stall next to hers, and decided this was the perfect, opportune time to have "the chat". God, help her…

"So… Beckett. You and my dad."

"Yeah."

"Finally."

"Yeah." Awkward.

Beat. Beat. "So, when did that happen? I thought you guys were fighting."

"Last night." Oh, bad choice of words. She bit her lip.

"…Oh really?" Good ol' Alexis, playing nonchalant. "Well, I'm happy you two got together."

"Yeah. Me too." When's the shoe going to drop?

"So… can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What's on your mind?"

"Do you promise not to hurt him?"

Bang. That shot straight to her heart. "W-why do you think I'd hurt him?"

"Look, you two have been doing this thing for four years now. You're off again, on again, and I know that there've been times where you did something stupid, or he did something stupid, and you fell apart. He really, really loves you. Every book, every movie based on it, all the time he spent with you at the precinct, it's all written on his face. He loves you, and I don't want to see him get hurt again. I've seen him after that happens, and I know he tries to hide it from me. He doesn't want me to see how bad it is, but I do. And Gram and I don't… we want Dad to be happy. Mom didn't work out, Gina didn't work out, all the girls he's dated didn't work out. And for the longest time, he's been unhappy. I just… I don't want that to happen again. So… please? Would you try not to hurt him? Make this thing between you two last?"

Kate's heart fell dead to the floor. She hoped it would too. She really, really hoped it would. "Yeah, Alexis. I'll try. I promise you, I will."


	7. Getting Away With Beckett

**Title:** The Right Kind of Hangover- Getting Away with Beckett  
**Rating:** M  
**Pairing:** Castle/Beckett  
**Disclaimer:** Scribble, scrabble, tip, tap, top / I arrange the words and make them pop. / _Castle_'s not mine and this I know / I credit Marlowe, who runs the show.  
**Author's Note:** Num, num, num, num… (munch, munch…)

* * *

Castle: You're such a kid. You're eating Rice Krispy treats?  
Me: (cannot speak, her mouth's too full)  
Castle: You know, that's going to give you a sugar rush.  
Me: (Nods)  
Castle: And it's going to get your brain going…  
Me: (Nods)  
Castle: And you're going to write something insane.  
Me: (GRINS)  
Castle: Should I go run and hide?  
Me: (swallows) Run, Ricky, ruuuuuuuun…

* * *

Ok, jasnrob, I am making you Detective jasnrob of the factoid police, and lv2bnsb1 shall be your patsy. Let's ride! Somebody grab the coconuts (claps coconuts together)! Tally ho!

Really, I swear I'm not drunk. I actually don't drink. I just think it's more fun when you do something crazy and make people laugh. And some people have noted that my author's notes are about as great as my stories, so… why not?

Castle: You should do commentary more often.  
Me: Probably. But then, how the heck are you supposed to have all those steamy scenes with Beckett?  
Castle: …(stumped)  
Me: Good job.

Ok, enough blabbering. To the fiction (cue the coconuts)! (And NOTE: Sorry about the short length. I should've made this part of Chapter 6. But… I needed to switch the POV back to Beckett, and I didn't really know what else to do.)

* * *

"What do I look like, the doorman?" complained Castle, his arms screaming for a reprieve from all the bags he was carrying. "You know, you got two arms, both of you. You can carry something."

"And why ruin the fun for you?" asked Beckett, winking at him.

He knew she'd conspired with his daughter to let him haul all the Gucci bags, at least six of them, from the doorway to the car. He didn't know how, and he couldn't prove it, but somehow, he knew she did. And while he was trying to put one foot in front of the other without tripping over his own steps, the two of them were walking side by side in front of him, arms around each other like the best of friends. Suddenly, he felt the pit of his stomach bottom out on the walkway. "What have I done," he moaned to himself.

Castle watched the two of them walking, talking, laughing. His girls. That felt right on his tongue when he tried testing them out. His girls. Somehow, that made it worthwhile to carry all the dresses, purses, and shoes that they both just "had" to have. Thank God he was rich.

Something glittered out of the corner of his eye. He turned slightly to his right, just enough to see, and then… he knew. Not now, not again…

"Mr. Castle? Mr. Castle!" He didn't like that voice. He really, REALLY didn't care for that voice of media frenzy. "Mr. Castle!"

He sped up his pace, breaking up the twosome in front of him. He shifted his bags from one hand to the other and linked arms with them. "Less talking, more walking."

"Dad?" Alexis raised an eyebrow.

"We've got a lot of ground to cover, and not a lot of time," he replied, pulling them towards the Ferrari.

"Castle?" Kate's eyes met his, confused.

"Don't… say… anything…" he muttered, escorting them both to the car. "Get in."

"What?"

"Now."

"Mr. Castle! Mr. Castle!"

That's when Kate noticed the trailing paparazzi, and she was NOT happy. She glanced at him, lips pursed. "Really?"

"In. The. Car." He threw the bags in the back and was about to slip into the driver's seat when he saw it was pleasantly occupied. "HEY! How did you get my keys?"

Kate slipped his sunglasses onto her nose and nodded to the passenger seat, already jingling the keys while she started it up. "Magic. You should've been around when I was a rookie in the police force. The first things they hazed us with was they stole things from us so we knew what it felt like. Now stop talking and hop in."

He slid in beside Alexis and barely snapped the seatbelt in place before his head jerked back. BAM! They were weaving in and out of the cars like pros. She knew how to drive, that was for sure. Left, right, to the side, in and out like nobody's business. Alexis's fingernails dug claw marks into his arm, and he couldn't blame her. This kind of ride wasn't for the faint of heart and it would be about a near perfect getaw—

Then… he saw the lights. Red. Blue. Red. Blue. "Oh crap."

Castle shrugged. "It's ok, just show them you're badge and tell them you're going to a homicide. Easy."

"Castle… that's abusing my pull. Plus… I…" she paused, and it was a beat long enough to really make his stomach start sinking. "…I don't have my badge anymore."

"WHAT?"

"I'm not a detective anymore."

"And you tell me this now?"

"Well…" she glanced at him and shrugged. "I was going to tell you eventually."

He clenched his teeth. "We're going to have a talk about this later."

"Yeah," said Alexis, frowning. "We all are."


	8. Hard Time With Castle

**Title:** The Right Kind of Hangover- Hard Time with Castle  
**Rating:** M  
**Pairing:** Castle/Beckett  
**Disclaimer:** Thank you, Marlowe, for your viewing pleasure / creating Castle was the best endeavor / and to you, I give great credit / because without you, I'd have nothing to edit.  
**Author's Note:** Um… hi, guys. I think I owe you big time.

* * *

Castle: You didn't write.  
Me: I know.  
Castle: For days.  
Me: I know.  
Castle: And you left everyone hanging.  
Me: I know. It's called babysitting, migraines, and a very busy weekend. And a very busy workday yesterday.  
Castle: Excuses, excuses. You know, Alexis could probably do twice that in half the time.  
Me: Yes, and that's why she's a supergenius. Be proud. Your spawn will take over the world.  
Castle: *grins* That's my girl!

* * *

Lori and sillyluvsRW, thank you for reviewing! You guys rock! And thanks everyone for the views! I got 12,000+ now? What? How's that work? I don't know, but I appreciate it immensely. Thanks!

* * *

Sorry, y'all. I meant to write, but if wishes were fishes, I'd fill an ocean. Doesn't make it real, and I am severely sorry that I kept you waiting for so very long. Y'all were probably gripping your monitors and going, "WHAT HAPPENS NEXT! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! I HAVE TO KNOW…" Oh wait, that was Castle.

Castle: You know, I'm still here.  
Me: I know. That's what makes it all the more fun to say. :)  
Beckett: Castle, you hijacked my author's note? What?  
Castle: Ummm… I can explain.  
Beckett: Just wait 'till we get home…  
Castle: I like the sound of that, the "we get home" part, but at the same time, I don't like the sound of that…

Enjoy.

* * *

Kate fumed. Why? When the heck did speeding result in spending some time in the slammer? Why? She kicked at the bars in frustration and seethed. When she pulled over, expecting a warning or a ticket or something, she was extremely, unpleasantly surprised when the arresting officer ordered them all to evacuate the car, grab their belongings, and stuff themselves in the back of the police cruiser. How embarrassing! And to make matters worse, when one paparazzi was avoided, another just "happened" to be right there at the corner of North and Main, ready to snap a few shots with his cell camera. Not to mention all the other people who walked by, anxious to get a shot of the famous writer, the hot ex-cop, the Ferrari, or the fact that someone was getting pulled over. Or all of it.

Ugh, and she could still smell the acrid stench of salty sweat, copper blood, and other things not worth mentioning from the fabric of the seats.

"This is your fault."

Castle was sitting behind her, running his fingers through his brown hair in thought. "Yeah. I know."

"It's your fault. You had to be famous. You had to take me out shopping."

"Yes, I know, Beckett. It's my fault."

She knew he was acquiescing to either take the blame or tick her off, and she wasn't sure which annoyed her more. "Why did he bring us here, anyway?"

"Well, given the fact that you were going about 15 or 20 over, I'm sort of not surprised." They exchanged glances and he shrugged. "This is going to be one of those stories I really don't want to tell my mother when she gets home…" He was silent for a moment, letting it sink in or something, but then he breached the subject she didn't want to talk about. "You don't have your badge anymore?"

Kate shook her head, frustrated. "No."

"Why? Were you fired? Did you quit? Why didn't you tell me that sooner?"

"Because I didn't want to."

That didn't go over well. He closed his eyes. "Why didn't you want to? That's definitely one of those important little niggles that we should talk about. You're not alone anymore, Kate. Hate to have to tell you this but you're in a relationship now. With me. That warrants a little explanation when you got something major going on, or something has happened."

"Maybe I didn't want to tell you!" She shot back, gritting her teeth.

"Maybe you should've done it anyway!"

"I don't have to tell you everything!"

"You know, this… I can't…" He slammed a fist on the bench and hissed. "Beckett, what the heck? Even after all of this, you still don't trust me?"

She shook her head, and kicked herself because the pain on his face took it as acknowledgement, not disavowing his statement. "No, wait, Castle!"

He shook his head and glared. "After all I did…"

"Castle, no, that's… that's not it. Look, I'm sorry! I didn't… I didn't mean it like that…" Kate sighed, frustration seeping from every step she took to sit down next to him, clutch his arm and kissing his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Castle. That's not what I meant. I trust you. I always have. I just… I didn't want to tell you because I thought…"

"Thought what?"

"I don't know. That you would be mad at me or something."

Castle's eyebrows raised, blue eyes bright but extremely confused. "What?"

"I don't know. I mean, that badge… that was a part of me. A big, big part of me. I don't know, I just thought that, now that I don't have it… that you'd be disappointed in me, or something. All this time, being a detective, tracking down criminals and solving murders, that all defined my life. Mom was a big part of that too; without her and without knowing who her murderer was, I turned to the force and it got me through. It's part of who I am. Or was," she added wistfully. "I didn't… I didn't know how to tell you because I didn't know how to tell myself either. I could barely remember what it was like not to be a cop, and suddenly I wasn't one. It's a level of freedom but it's a level of uncertainty too. Of instability." She reached for his hand and was pleasantly surprised when he traced circles on hers with his thumb. "I've been Detective Beckett for awhile. I don't know how to just be Kate. And when I got a chance to be, I didn't want you or me to worry about how I got there. I just wanted to be with you, and sort out everything later. Does that make sense?"

He smiled, nonchalant. "Well, when you put it that way, it makes sense. I thought it was me who did something wrong, something to warrant your distrust. I'm sorry too."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Castle." Kate reached for his face, pulled it towards hers and blushingly laid a sweet, tender kiss on his lips. "You did everything right. All of it, every second of it. You did everything right."

The sound of screeching metal announced the arrival of someone that, upon both of their stares, was all but welcomed then. Blonde, model thin, gorgeous, Gina Cowell adjusted her black shoulder bag, rolled her eyes, and shook her head at them, smirking absently when they both unconsciously scooted away from each other. "You know, I don't mind if you two do the whole Bonnie and Clyde thing, but maybe you should stick to doing that on the job or in the bedroom, not where it could get you thrown in the slammer."

Castle groaned. "Gina, why are you here?"

"Captain Gates called me. Apparently, since Martha wasn't available and you're… well, in here… I'm next on the emergency contact list that you have for Alexis. She's fine, by the way, waiting in the break room. I don't think the PD is going to hold her accountable for anything." She nodded to the two of them on the other side of the bars. "So, what stupid thing did you two do now?"

Kate gritted her teeth. "Nothing. Can you get us out of here?"

"I can't, but I can try and get the charges dropped. That's why I came to talk to Rick. I didn't know you two would be getting cozy in the cell, though."

Castle stared at Gina. "We weren't."

"Well, you two are sleeping with each other, right?"

"Who says we were?" replied Kate.

Gina shrugged. "He dedicates two books to you and writes three. With the next one hot off the press in a few months. You really want to get into semantics?" She shook her head. "If you two weren't sleeping together before, you probably are now. At least, that's how I figured it. Anyway, I want to talk to my ex-husband, and there's someone on the other side of the door over there," she pointed behind her, "that wanted to talk to you, Beckett. He said it was important."

"The more the merrier," she muttered. "Sure. Maybe after all this, we can go back home like normal people." The door screeched again, and after a glace towards it, a hiss escaped her throat. "What are you doing here?"

Castle's confusion and Gina's dumbfoundedness, combined with her rage, clearly made the man standing there feel completely uncomfortable, as deeply unnerved as the sorrow in his sky blue, Irish eyes. "Hi, Kate. Castle."

Kate glared at him, lips pursed. "No. Get out of here, _Detective._"

Kevin Ryan looked like a little kid with his balloon popped, but he stood his ground and set his chin, trying to ruffle his already ruffled feathers. "No, please. I need to talk to you, Kate. And Gina's got to talk to Castle. Please?"

Little Brother really needed to grow up. Tough. Love. "No."

He flinched. "Come on, Beckett. Please? I want to… want to set the story straight. Please, don't make me beg."

She scowled. "Why should I?"

"Beckett." Castle said quietly, almost inaudible. "Do it."

"What?"

"Just do it. You won't be long. And neither will I. And then, we get to put all this stuff behind us and go home. How's that?"

Kate hated it when he gave her his pleading puppy dog eyes too, and she felt her resolve melt. "Fine," she muttered, and got up, shooting dirty looks at Ryan. "Lead the way, Detective Ryan."


	9. Without Beckett

**Title:** The Right Kind of Hangover- Without Beckett  
**Rating:** M  
**Pairing:** Castle/Beckett  
**Disclaimer:** _Castle_'s amazing, and this I know/ I credit creation to the man, Marlowe / Fun and delightful, cherry and bright / When Marlowe makes something, he makes it right.  
**Author's Note:** Yes, second update in a day. I owe you guys at least a few updates to make up for my long absence, and I promise not to leave you hanging.

* * *

Castle: *whines* You left me alone with Gina? Are you mad? She's going to kill me for being late with my manuscripts again…  
Me: Hey, it makes for a good story.  
Beckett: I can't wait to see how this turns out…  
Castle: I thought you were on my side!  
Beckett: I am on your side. When it comes to you being an adult and not trying to weasel your way out of a conversation with your ex-wife-slash-publisher. Sometimes, you need to put your big boy boxers on and grow up.  
Castle: Yeah? Well, sometimes, you need to… grow… down…  
Me: You thought you were so smart when you started that sentence, didn't you?

* * *

Anyway, the youse muses are calling, and I must answer. Plus, I have to get through this chapter if I want to continue and get to the next few. I will eventually reach a stopping point in this fiction and go directly into the next one I want to do, which will take me a lot longer to write… Hopefully though, I will do another "serial" fiction that I will add to everyday. Something outside my "Hangover" continuity.

I always pictured my "Hangover" story to last about the span of a day. Hangovers aren't supposed to last for more than a day, right? As of "right now", it's about 2PM in the _Castle_ world, so about half a day left to go.

I really, REALLY enjoyed writing Gina's lines last chapter. I never really liked Gina, but she could be a very snappy character. And I always thought that, even though her and Rick weren't in a relationship past Season 3, she might have been a slight bit jealous of Kate… Not too badly, but since Gina's the "ex-wife" and Rick's got a new girl, I bet it hurts.

* * *

Kudos to Ferby93, york, Lv2bnsb1 and Dbear for reviewing my last chapter(s)!

**Ferby93**: I'm happy you liked everything since the beginning, and thank you for the warm fuzzies about my writing! Yeah, I don't think Castle and Beckett would go as quickly as my fiction, but then again, maybe they would. I don't really know. I'm not the great Andrew Marlowe! LOL! But for me, I wrote this out with the idea that these two weren't "just" starting off in the dating realm; they've been dancing around each other for four years. If you want to think about it this way, they're not teenagers, and they're not going to start out like that. And they've been "together" (at least in my mind) for the better part of the series. Now, after "Always", they're free to express the love they've been holding in for a long time. I always figured it was "no holds barred", and all bets were off: they were together, and if it's quick, there's going to be problems with that. If it's slow, there's problems. Either way, something's bound to get in the way of a complete happily ever after. But I looked at everything as a slow, four year build-up to an explosion, and really, these two are pretending that everything is hunky dory (You'll see what I mean in the next fiction I do).

**York**: You better believe Kate's not going to let Ryan off the hook, not too quickly anyway. That comes next chapter, and I hope you'll be pleased. There's a bit of a "got her cornered" vibe that came out between Ryan and Kate while she was in the slammer, and I'm really eager to play that one off as soon as possible. Thank you! Also, you'll see some interesting play between Castle and Beckett once they are reunited again.

**Lv2bnsb1:** Thank you, thank you. Castle loves his girls, and taking them shopping, lavishing on Kate, would be really at the top of his list, right up there with saving her life and loving her to death, as a token of appreciation. And yes, she would do that, if Conrad has written more than one book *wink, wink*. And in reference to the speeding ticket/jail time… see below. You'll see why Castle and Beckett are in jail.

**Dbear:** Thank you for the comment! I appreciate it a lot! And hold on, there's a reason why she was less than nice to Ryan. Please, give me another chapter and I will explain why Beckett's so mad at Ryan (I love Kevin Ryan, and to see Kate be mad at him for whatever reason, is bad, but I promise you, there's a reason. You'll see what I mean). I deliberately didn't write it because I wanted a little bit more meat to the story. And… I didn't know it was going to happen until I wrote the jail chapter.

* * *

Anyway, onward bound.

* * *

Rick knew once upon a night that Gina was everything to him. Even now, for a brief moment of reflection, he saw the woman she used to be through those bars, the person he married so many years ago. Her hair was styled the way it used to be; she was wearing something in ivory with spaghetti straps, which always flattered her figure and made her seem that much more light, airy than darker colors. At one point, she could dazzle a room full of waiting patrons and celebrities like a supernova on steroids. She still could. That exuberant shade of sunshine never faded away with every move she made, and her infectious charisma made even the sourest of people turn their frowns upside down. He'd put a ring on her finger, and though the relationship hadn't worked out like he thought it would back then, it was something that he never regretted. For the time it lasted, their marriage proved to be something worthwhile.

Her brown eyes bore into him, like he was used to back in the old days: completely unable to take his crap for another missed manuscript turn-in, another ditched book signing, another botched charity event. The same glare made him fidget and squirm. "So?"

"So what?"

"Don't play dumb, Rick. You know what."

"How does any of that have anything to do with why you're here?" He asked, nonchalant. "You're my book editor. You make sure that I cross my t's and dot my i's accordingly, not to mention make sure that I stay on track with my manuscripts. I sure can't write them in jail, so I'm guessing you want me out of here."

"The apostle Paul wrote in jail. So did Cervantes."

"And they are better men than me," he replied, smirking. "Come on, Gina."

Gina grabbed two of the bars and stuck her nose in between them, trying to lessen distance as much as possible while making her point. "What's going on, Rick? Really? Is this more of your research, or more of your 'screwing around'?"

"It's not screwing around. It's not research either. It's something new."

"You seeing her?"

He nodded. "She's my girlfriend, Gina. Something that I wish you would remain discreet about. That took her aback a second, and he could see something new in her expression. Really? Was she… "Are you jealous?"

"Of what, Rick?" Which was worse, that fact that she was slightly upset about the situation, or the fact that she was stone cold serious and wasn't letting anything show behind her mask?

But she couldn't hide things from him so easily, not the stuff close to the heart. "You're jealous, hurt, or both, I can see it." He rose from his perch and silently walked toward her, arms folded, and sighed. "Look, Gina—"

"Save it," she said curtly, taking a step back. "I already… already kind of knew. Ever since you started working with her, you've been different. Especially within this past year. Even when you were with me, I wondered if you were thinking of me, or thinking of her." She scoffed absently, defeated. "Now I know how Meredith feels."

He sighed again, exasperated and pained. "Gina, come on. It's not like that. I mean, we had fun. And we loved each other at one point or another. Things just… just didn't work out."

"Yeah, I know. It just…hurts every once in awhile. When I have a moment or two to think about it, it just hurts." She shook her head, adamant, but surprised him. "Do you love her, Rick?"

"Yes. I do, very much."

"You going to marry her too?"

He hesitated. "It's too soon to tell, but I'd like to. I'd… really like to. One day, someday."

Gina caught his gaze, wistful and uneasy. "…Make sure… you're ready for that. Try to make this one stick, ok? Don't… don't let her end up like Meredith and me. Make sure this last Castle still stands. But that's a bridge you'll have to cross later." She took a deep breath, plastered a smile on her face and fiddled with her purse again. "And at least now, we know where we stand, and we can keep working together. Anyway, you're still stuck in jail, and I still need to get you out of it. The mayor might be able to pull some strings…"

"Gates is not going to like that."

"Gates doesn't have to like it. She has to shut up and take it if it comes from the higher ups. There's nothing she can do about it if the mayor's willing to fix this 'minor infraction'."

"Yeah, a 'minor infraction' that resulted in jail time. I mean, why was that, anyway? Why didn't they just give Kate a ticket and be done with it? Wait, couldn't she get out of it?"

She shot him one of those 'are you stupid' looks. "She's not a cop anymore. She can't get out of it. And besides, Rick, he jailed _you_ because of a speeding ticket you got over three months ago. Apparently, you didn't pay it and missed the court date. When the police pulled over Beckett, they took you both in."

"You're telling me I kind of Al Capone'd myself?"

"Apparently. What did you do with it, stick it in that bill drawer you have in your desk? You know the one I'm talking about."

"…I got busy. And I don't like looking at those until I have to," he sputtered. "If a tree falls in the forest, and nobody is around to hear it…"

"Shut up, Castle. Where did you put it?"

He stared at her, incredulous. "I swear, I took care of it. At least, I thought I asked Ryan to take care of that. He said he knew someone in traffic… Wait, that was also around his wedding-slash-honeymoon…" He blinked. "Ah, that kind of makes sense now…"

Gina rolled her eyes. "Now I'm glad I married you… and divorced you." She laughed a little at that, and shook her head again. "I think you were too busy chasing after your muse and you didn't get around to it." She turned toward the door and walked away. "Looks like you still won't get to drive until that suspension's cleared up… I'll see what I can do. Oh, and Rick?" she batted her eyes at him, specifically in that way that made him sick to his stomach. "I think we should discuss raising my cut for the next Nikki Heat book, since I'm doing this little 'favor' for you. Think of it as an incentive for my 'services rendered'."

"Ah, there's the Gina I know and love. We'll… talk about it later."

"And maybe a few more Nikki Heats."

"Now you're pushing it," he grinned. "Now, get me out of here."


	10. Mending Fences Like Castle

**Title:** The Right Kind of Hangover- Mending Fences Like Castle  
**Rating:** M  
**Pairing:** Castle/Beckett  
**Disclaimer:** _Castle_'s the bread to my butter, the cheese to my wine / and taking credit for creation is anything but fine. / The great Andrew Marlowe has left his touch / on this heart of mine; I love _Castle_ as such.  
**Author's Note:** Yes, third update in a day. Whee. And this is the part where we find out why Beckett is ticked.

* * *

Beckett: I've got to say, you're doing a really good job.  
Me: Really? I'm just making it up as I go.  
Beckett: Wait, what? You didn't have this planned?  
Me: I had no clue about where this fiction was going until I get to that chapter, and that next part. I fly by the seat of my pants, and so far, it hasn't left me in the dust just yet.  
Beckett: You realize you're about as bad as Castle?  
Castle: Yeah, you're as bad as me.  
Me: …Go get a room, you two. Let me finish my work!  
Castle: 'The lady doth protest too much'.  
Me: Just wait, I'll make YOU protest too much…  
Beckett: Maybe I should just leave you two to duke it out in the cell. How's that?  
Castle: *to Beckett* Oooh, then after we go at it, do you want to? Cage matches sound kind of kinky.  
Me: Oh good grief…

* * *

To all my viewers, you make me happy. To all my reviewers, you make me even more happy. To all the new people who visit my fic, I hope I'm not scary. I promise. I'm a good girl. I try my hardest to write something good. And let me know how you all like what I write.

Also, you'll notice something Ryan did (that I didn't reveal yet), that echoes something Castle did in "Always": something to try and help Beckett, because he cares. Ryan and Castle are two peas in a pod, and I realized that though Ryan doesn't love Beckett like that, he might unconsciously do almost the same thing Castle would because he cared. It turned out beautifully.

* * *

Castle: You realize your chapters are getting longer?  
Me: um… No. didn't think of that, but thank you for pointing that out.  
Castle: Always give the audience what they want… more of me and Beckett.  
Me: Where did you learn your grammar?  
Castle: Shakespearean theater.  
Beckett: And you're hijacking my author's note again. Do I have to cuff you?  
Castle: You can't, you don't have them. Well, except for the fuzzy pink ones I slipped in your Gucci bag.

Ok, I'm done.

* * *

Cornered by Ryan felt a little like being an animal in a cage, and Kate was no one's pet. She followed him to the break room, out of sight from Gates, who was busy with paperwork in her office to even notice their presence. Good. Alexis was waiting, and a hug gave the younger Castle a bit of encouragement. "Beckett, where's Dad?"

"He's still in the cell. I have to talk to Ryan for a minute. Will you go and wait outside for a bit?"

"Sure. I need to stop in the ladies' room anyway. I uh… I will leave you two alone." She scooted out, leaving them to what would probably be one of the most painful conversations Kate'd ever had.

He seemed different. Graver. The bags under his eyelids and the slight twitch of his hands signaled a bad night's sleep. This wasn't the way it should've been. This man had saved her life. This man had stood by her, by Javi, by Castle; it was always him, her and the gang, an "us against the world" thing that was the closest thing to family she'd ever felt with anyone outside of her father and blood kin. Standing here, in the dress Castle bought her and weirdly busted for a speeding ticket; knowing Javi was somewhere else instead of at his desk, busting her chops for all the times she'd been denying her feelings for her "now" boyfriend; said boyfriend sitting in the slammer, making nicey-nice with his ex-wife; and Ryan, right there, still employed, still a cop by turning his back on his family, even though it was to protect her and Javi… this all felt wrong. All of it. None of it was right, and it was written all over his face and hers. She knew it.

Ryan cleared his throat, shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and busied himself with making them both coffees. Extending the olive branch, so to speak, even though she wasn't in the mood. "So… how're you doing since yesterday, Beckett? I uh… see you're with Castle. Kind of." He glanced down at her clothing and smiled his approval. "You look nice."

"I'm not up for small talk, Ryan. Spit it out."

"I know, but… ok, look, this doesn't feel right. You, me, Castle and Javi, we're a team, and I was looking out for you guys. I swear, I didn't want anything to happen to you."

"So you told Gates where we were. I get that. What you don't seem to get is, it's not about that. Ok? You sold us out to protect us. I get that. It's not me but Espo who took it hard."

"He talked to you?"

"Right after I threw my badge down and walked away. He caught me walking through the parking garage towards the bus stop… I'd never seen him so mad before…"

Kevin grimaced. She bet he hated himself now. "What… what did he say?"

"That he couldn't trust you. That he couldn't stand to work with you. After all these years, after all the deception and lies, the battles he's had to come up against to keep this city safe… Ike, chasing killers, watching Castle and me go after something or another and he had nowhere to go, how he didn't have our backs because he couldn't… He didn't expect you to stab him in the back like that. I told him it wasn't your fault. You were upholding the badge, doing right by the law, trying to keep us safe… He didn't want to hear that. Then, he threw his coat on and walked away. I haven't heard from him since."

"So, why are you so mad at me? What did I do?"

She glared at him, but somehow, talking had diffused her. It drained all her anger away. "You called Dad. Somewhere between the start and the end of Gates's lambasting, you called him and told him to come get me, like I was some kind of child. I know you did it because you knew he'd want to make sure I was still breathing. I'd almost died again. The first time was bad enough, this time, even though I'd survived… It ripped him up. But he should… he shouldn't have been involved, not then anyway. I… I didn't want him to know just yet. He'd worry too much, and I didn't want to tell him, especially considering that what happened on that rooftop didn't really even hit me until later. I didn't even fully realize what happened; all I knew or cared about was I had to get to Castle… But you took that decision right out of my hands." Coffee brewed, he handed her a cup silently and she took it with a nod and a sip. "Dad drove around aimlessly until he saw me start walking. He was frantic, wanted to pick me up, make sure I was ok, and I ran to the side of the car. Tried to tell him to go away, and I… I think I hurt him really badly. I love him, but I didn't need him there… He couldn't stop hugging me through the window, and I was so mad…" she felt tears welling in her eyes. "He wanted me to stay with him, and when I told him I'd resigned, he thought that was the best decision I made that day. I fought with him and told him I had to go, but he didn't… he didn't understand. He didn't want to let me go." She gripped the cup in her hand, the warm comfort of porcelain soothing her spirits. "He must have thought I was going after Maddox again, or something like that. And that's when it started to rain, and I just… ghosted. I left. I didn't want to deal with you, or Dad, or anyone else. I just wanted to push everything out of my head, everything but Castle. That's all I wanted."

"You love him, don't you?"

She turned to him and nodded. "I got to the park, and just felt… numb. For a little while, just sat there on the swing and everything came back to me… What happened on the rooftop, Maddox, the precinct, even Castle. Especially Castle. I can't explain it, Kev. It's like something happened, someone threw a switch and I was feeling things for what felt like the first time. It was all so real, and I'd been rubbed so raw through the entire thing that it all just… clicked. It was this realization that things were finally… right. Even though it all felt wrong. Everything was wrong, and it still just worked. How does that happen?"

Ryan smiled, nodding his understanding and stood next to her, collected his thoughts and spoke. "I understand. Sometimes, Jenny wakes me up at night, just to make sure I'm still breathing, that I'm still alive. She knows that what I do is something that can get me killed one day. It just might. So sometimes, she just likes to know that I'm still around. We're still married till death do us part, even when she knows that… that might be around the corner. She's aware of how wrong that is… but it makes every day we're together more alive. I think it's the same for you and Castle. You've stared down death more than once, and so has he. Each day, we see how real it is, and we just live it all up as best we can. That's the risk of living."

"I'm sorry I got mad at you. I was just… frustrated."

"It's ok. At least now I know why you were upset with me in there. When you left yesterday, I thought we were good, but that… that clears up a lot. Now, if only I can convince Javi that I'm sorry..." He looked less certain of that, and frowned. "I don't know if he'll even speak to me when he comes back."

"He will. It'll be hard, but the 'bromance' shall live on."

Ryan laughed, and bumped her with his elbow. "Are you going to come back, too? It won't be the same here without you, Kate."

Kate hesitated, uncertain. Would she? Would she be back, beg for her job back? How would that work, knowing that resigned with the intent to never walk through the doors again? Speaking for the dead had been her calling, and now… she was happy. Castle made her happy. She was free to do whatever she wanted, but what was her calling now? She hadn't thought of that in years, hadn't wanted to, really. The badge had been everything in her world and she'd given it up for love. For freedom. For a shot at happiness. Who was she without it? She assumed she'd find out, one day at a time. "I don't know. Odds are, not too quickly, if ever. I walked away for a reason, Ryan. I'm not going to step back into something that I'm not sure I have a place in anymore."

"Ah. And I'm guessing Castle's not going to be back either, huh? He's got to follow his muse. Wherever you go, he goes."

She snickered halfheartedly. "He probably will come back to do more 'research'."

"You really believe that? He's not here for the books anymore, Kate. He's in it for you. Always has been. It's probably the end of Nikki Heat as we know it."

Kate never thought of it that way. Huh? No more Nikki? Suddenly, she felt her insides congeal into molten sludge. Derek Storm, Nikki Heat… He created them, and he could create something new too, but Nikki… Nikki was personal. It was his love letter to her, to her job, to her existence as a police officer, no matter how much she denied it. Now that she wasn't a cop anymore… what would he do? Retire her? Cripple her? Kill her?

Did her decision just kill a part of his career?

"Hey." She turned her head and saw Alexis standing there, smiling slightly, hopefully. A glance at her dad's watch told Kate she had been talking for almost an hour. She tuned back into the redhead. "Gina's trying to get the two of you sprung from the jail. She said something about royalties and convincing the judge, although I'm pretty sure she didn't mean both of those at the same time." She pointed towards the two of them. "You guys ok?"

Kate smiled and nodded, feeling a little bit better despite her stomach acid. Three of the four family members were back together. It felt like things were starting to fall back in place... Sort of. "Yeah. We're good. Let's go see your dad."


	11. Just Got Sprung By Beckett!

**Title:** The Best Kind of Hangover- Just Got Sprung... By Beckett!  
**Rating:** M  
**Pairing:** Castle/Beckett  
**Disclaimer:** When I want something to take worry away / I see what Marlowe's work has to say. / Every season is perfect the way that it is. / And to take credit is to steal what's rightfully his.  
**Author's Note:** I think I owe you guys about three updates or something… With the way my life is going recently, sometimes my best laid plans to update kind of go astray. But bear with me, I really am trying.

* * *

Castle: You want to know the best cure for a busy day?  
Me: Um, a good ol' fashioned nap?  
Castle: Laser tag with your daughter. Alexis has a mean sneak attack that makes me scared stiff if she ever gets drafted into the Black Ops or the CIA.  
Me: I can see her pulling a Jack Bauer on people. The Force is strong with that one.  
Beckett: *looks at Castle* She must have gotten that from her mother's side of the family. Someone who's not crazy.  
Castle: Say what? Duel with lightsabers, we shall. Enguarde!  
Beckett: Trust me, Castle, you couldn't handle me with a blaster, let alone a lightsaber. I'd Force pull you into oblivion, and you'd never see it coming.  
Castle: You're so hot when you're speaking nerd speak…  
Me: Would you two quit poking at each other and just get a room already? SHEESH!

* * *

You'd think that they'd shut up, start kissing and leave me alone. I mean, good grief, they're not even out of jail and they're already setting themselves up for the bedroom…

* * *

**Ferby93**, you rock! Yeah, I thought it was interesting to pull them away from each other and have then dealing with their own things. And now, they've both got that stuff in mind when they come back together. It's bound to affect the way they react to each other, and believe me, it's sort of going to get worse as we go along. And thank you for the compliments about my quality of writing, and how fast I get it out. I'm the type of writer that writes what I like to read, and if I read something good, I want to keep reading something good. You guys really like what I write because you wouldn't still be reading it if it was utter trash. As a reader, I would like to see the fiction continue on with the same standard of quality no matter how quickly the author writes it. This fiction is no different to me. I wrote those last three chapters in about 6 hours, and that was time well spent to me; you guys deserve to read something worthwhile no matter what. I'm glad you guys enjoyed it.

* * *

Anyway, I think I'm going to just roll with the punches and see what comes out. I have a feeling this one will end in some sort of giddy gooey stuff that only Castle and Beckett can do, so we will see what happens, ok? Happy reading! (Ahead of time, I'm sorry if this chapter is short... I have to spring Castle from jail and that's not the most lengthy thing to do...)

* * *

Steel felt a lot colder when you were resting your forehead on it than by the way it looked. First hand experience with bars gave Castle a certain perspective of what they were really like, inside their confines and out. Bars didn't give. Bars didn't break. Bars didn't do anything but to keep things caged, or keep things out. They stood rigid, unmovable, sometimes rusted with wear and tear from time, water, or a whole lot of other sources of water that he probably didn't really want to think about at the moment. They were a constant in a shifting setting, the one immutable factor in a sea of shifting faces, bodies, and atmosphere of rank, dead breath. Outside the bars, it was like a circus; watching the parade of inmates, both innocent and guilty, shaking their heads in disorientation and possible shame, or flat out distain for getting caught, never got old. On the inside, it felt like the belly of the beast, danger around every dark corner of his mind like every corner of the cell. It screamed darkness, despair, and paranoia. You felt guilty, even when you weren't. Jail blocks never did Richard Castle any favors, and he always tried as best as he possibly could to be outside of one, not inside.

He thunked his forehead into the space of the bars one more time, feeling a dull sense of pain to chase away his boredom for one short, masochistic second. Gina had left to call the mayor and get his sanction of freedom, leaving him to amuse himself however he saw fit. So, he did what every bored, imaginative, multimillionaire socialite with a heavy streak of stubbornness did in his position.

He thought about Beckett. He thought about Beckett, and everything about her: her legs, her eyes, her butt, her body, her mind, her curves and valleys. He thought about how strong she was, compassionate, sweet, blindly ambitious, blindly stupid and frustrating, smart, coy, beautiful and sexy she was. He thought about knowing her intimately and knowing that he still had more gold to mine there. He thought of her devotion to her family, to her friends, to him. He thought of everything under the sun and then expanded to the galaxy, because not a single strand of thought could encompass such a beautiful thing as Kate Beckett. There wasn't a woman alive that could touch her and not a man alive that wished he could be with her, and he considered that he was quite possibly the closest he would ever get to heaven on earth by just being in her presence. And how much he freaking wanted to pull a jailbreak so he could run away and be with her.

Footsteps down the hall broke his reverie, and he grinned wide to see his lady love grace him with her presence, his beautiful daughter holding Kate's hand, and his old friend "Honey Milk" trailing behind them both. Ryan produced a key and started unlocking the door; Beckett threw it open and pulled him close for a hug.

"Told you I'd break you out of prison one day."

"My hero," he chuckled, and snuck in a quick kiss. "You have a getaway car ready for us, too? We can raise Baby Bear in the art of prison breaking and grand larceny so she can take over the family business."

"Oh please," replied Alexis, rolling her eyes. "I'd dethrone you in less than a day."

"Why, how very devious and backstabbing of you. Somebody's been watching too many episodes of _The Sopranos_."

"Shouldn't that make you proud?" asked Ryan, laughing.

"Ah yes. I knew you were a Castle," he replied, and kissed his daughter on the forehead. "Daddy's little girl."

Kate rolled her eyes and laughed, nodding her head towards the door. "We met up with Gina on the way in. Apparently, Mayor Weldon likes you enough to pardon your speeding ticket and spring you from the slammer. You're going to probably have to lay low and make sure you pay your speeding tickets from now on, but you shouldn't have any more trouble."

"Good ol' Rob. I love that man."

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, he got you off really quick. Just… try not to joyride or out of the city from now on, ok? Because next time, it might be me picking you up and giving you a ride back to the precinct."

He smirked, and stroked his friend's shoulder almost… tenderly. "That sounds like a great offer, Ryan, but… I'm sorry, but I don't swing like that."

His girlfriend raised an eyebrow; cute as it was, he was pretty sure she wanted to punch him in the shoulder for that kind of comment. "'Don't swing like that'? You better not. Last time I checked, you liked girls. You liked girls A LOT. And I think I would know that better than anyone."

He grinned at Ryan. "See how defensive she gets? Ain't it cute?"

Her fist met flesh and he laughed in pain in his upper arm. Ouch, that was going to leave a mark in the morning… "You are looking to get shot, aren't you?"

"Well, hate to say it, Beckett but I aim to misbehave. And you don't have a gun."

"Dad, do I have to put you in a corner?" asked Alexis, clearly acting like the 'only adult' in the room. "Can we go home yet?"

He nodded his head, put an arm around both his girls and grinned. "Yes. We can go home now. Thank you, Ryan, for letting me out, thanks to the Mayor for springing me in the first place, and thank you Beckett for not shanking me in my bunk while I awaited my acquittal."

Kate smiled back at him, and did he see a devilish glint in her eye. "I didn't want to leave a mess on the nice prison cell floor. But don't worry, just wait until we get home."

_Uh oh._


	12. Walking and Wondering with Castle

**Title:** The Best Kind of Hangover- Walking and Wondering with Castle  
**Rating:** M  
**Pairing:** Castle/Beckett  
**Disclaimer:** When I want something to take worry away / I see what Marlowe's work has to say. / Every season is perfect the way that it is. / And to take credit is to steal what's rightfully his.  
**Author's Note:** I'm ready. I'm ready to write. Yes. You betcha, I am ready…

* * *

**Beckett:** Psyching yourself up again, huh?  
**Me:** Have to I haven't written in months. Remind me not to keep playing catch-up with myself, ok?  
**Beckett:** Well, what's the alternative? Have Castle write your fiction chapters for you?  
**Me:** Do you really want that? He'd turn the whole shebang into one of those _Fifty Shades of Gray_ things, and then I'll never hear the end of it.  
**Castle:** …You do realize I'm standing RIGHT HERE IN THE ROOM, right?  
**Me:** Castle, you KNOW you'd turn my fiction into smut. It's you and Beckett. Think about that for a moment.  
**Castle:** *thinks and grins* yeah… oh yeah… YEAH.  
**Beckett:** Really?

Would these two get out of my head? Oh wait, maybe not such a good idea since this fiction is about them, and I would have nothing to write. Oh darn.

* * *

I gave myself a hiatus because I got blocked. Sorry about that… Writing a section every day, coupled with learning how to do my new job at work was hectic. I had to focus on one or the other, and unfortunately, this had to take a backseat for a bit. But, I'm back, and here's the next bit. If you'd like to review, please do so. If you'd like to criticize, then please let it be constructive, not a bash. I'd really like that. Thanks, guys!

* * *

Springing Castle from the slammer was nothing. Gina dug up the dirt she needed and did the legwork, but Beckett got the benefits. And what benefits there were: hand in hand, she clung to Castle's magnetic side, laughing at his jokes, blushing at his flirtations, and watching him make an utter fool of himself with every chance he could. But the kind of fool he made was the kind of fool she wanted to be, a fool who, for all intensive purposes, was in love and in it for the long haul.

He never whispered it to her in the moments they had been alone, not in his voice, but in his eyes. She knew, knew probably more than he did, that he wasn't playing. The long, slow, moment by moment courtship that she knew had occurred throughout the four years they'd known each other poked her in the ribs and teased her with that promise. The sidelong glances, the cups of coffee, their trademark "always" after affirming, reaffirming, and re-reaffirming their tested and true commitment to each other in every shape and form… that wasn't something to scoff at. It wasn't something to play with, and she didn't take that for granted. All through her life, she'd cycle men in and out of her life like the changing of the seasons. They came, did their time, and parted ways, staying long enough for her to get used to them until they left for one reason or another. She was too guarded, he was too irresponsible, something didn't work, the results were always the same regardless of the situation or excuse. But Rick was not a seasonal trend, warming or cooling off whenever she least expected it. He exuded warmth every step of the way, a constant summer with more heat and passion than she originally thought was possible to feel.

But with the weather came the rain. And the sleet. And the snow. Lightning and thunder, hail and tornadoes. There would be storms. There were always storms, and the one eating her up in the back of her mind was named Nikki Heat. Where would she be, now that her inspiration chucked her badge and her gun for the arms of her creator? If Castle wasn't chasing after her anymore… Would there be a Nikki Heat at all?

An inconsistent nibbling gave her a little bit of pause after every chuckle, a slight downturn of her lips that prevented her smile from reaching from ear to ear. It shone as a dulling haze to her glittering eyes, and placed a slight halter in her step, so badly so that when Alexis snapped up the opportunity to grab a delectable from the local hotdog vender at her father's expense, Castle wrapped his arms around Kate's shoulders and nuzzled her hair with the slightest of kisses. "What's wrong?"

"Hmmm?"

"You've been walking arm and arm with me for the last block and a half, and all you've said to me was something about the weather."

"I'm just… distracted. I'm sorry, Castle. My head's a million miles away."

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that." He hugged her. "You want me to help you find a landing pad?"

Kate sighed. _Why not?_ He could see right through her anyway. "I'm thinking about my job. Or ex-job. I don't know if I want to go back."

Castle paused. "Well, do you want to go back? I mean, I could kidnap you from the rest of the world, and we could travel. Go to the Hamptons on vacation, or see Paris in the moonlight. I've always wanted to see the leaning tower of Pisa, if only to wonder if it was Pisa or really Pizza. Pizza makes more sense to me, for some reason."

"Italy would be nice… but what about life here? Wouldn't you miss New York?"

"Ah, my mistress." She raised an eyebrow and he gave her a half-hearted smile. "Well, second mistress. The one that doesn't look hot in some classy lingerie."

"Wouldn't you miss it?"

He looked down into her hazel eyes and smiled. "Miss the magic, the mayhem, the murder? Yeah. But I've got more than enough right here, with you."

"Oh really?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, this city is a disaster waiting to happen. There's always a murder not more than five minutes away. But for all it's worth, this city means nothing to me without you in it."

She loved it when he said things like that. "'Home is where the heart is', huh?"

"Something like that. I could see a hundred crime scenes, catch a hundred bad guys, and that wouldn't do anything for me but make me lonely for you. We met because of this city's stupid crime rate. I'd hate to lower it without your help, your expertise, and giving you the credit."

"So, what of Nikki Heat? Where does she go from here?"

"Nikki? What, are you worried that I'm going to have writer's block now that we're not catching criminals?"

"I don't want to be the reason why you suddenly can't even sell magazine articles, let alone the next chapter of your most famous series."

Castle shook his head. "I told my mother once that it wasn't about the books anymore, and I meant it. I can find something else to write about; that's always an option. But, I'd like to think that Nikki will have a few more adventures up her sleeve. She always has a habit of surprising me, and she always ends up going in a different direction than what I'd planned."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I mean, I wanted to kill her off after the first book, but hey…"

Kate punched him in the ribs and he chortled. "Wise guy."

"Yeah. But you love me."

And she did. There was no denying that.


End file.
